Would/Will be a new DVC Buyer

[DanielleC]

So, I'm considering a DVC purchase. I need some opinions and thoughts. First, a little bit about me.

• I am a single person. It's rare that I go with anyone else and even then, no one stays in my room. I do not, nor will I ever "need" a Villa, 2 BR or even a 1 BR.
• I live about 90 min from Disney.
• I have gone more times than I can count.
• I have an annual pass. I've had an annual pass every year since 1993.
• I have a Chase Disney VISA card.
• I go to Disney about 18 times a year. I say 18 because I usually go once a month, sometimes two.
• I rarely stay more than 2 nights at a time. Last "long" trip for me was Christmas 2023 and that was 5 nights. This year I'll be going Labor Day weekend for D23, staying 4 nights (Thurs - Sunday).
• I have gone one pretty much every attraction or ride that I want. If there is a long line, I can go next time (or the next after that)
• Since I have been there for every night time event (MNSSHP, MVMCP, JN) I don't really care about anything for those. I actually went the first year for MVMCP and it cost $15. I also don't care much about extra hours for DVC members.
• I tend to make my reservations for the times I visit about 2 weeks out from the trip. If I can't get a room then I just don't go that weekend or just go for the day. So the 11 month/7 month thing doesn't make this a deal breaker. Nor does the contract expiration though either OKW 2057 or SS 2054 would be more desirable but not necessary.
• I have stayed at every existing resort except the Cabins at Ft Wilderness. I've stayed at the campgrounds once though.

Everything I see and sense is that resale is for me. It seems that with the price of direct purchase being about twice as much as resale, resale is a better deal. I don't want/need the perks. And I get the discounts using my Disney Visa or Annual Pass.

So, am I off base with my logic or is resale for me?

 

[matt and beth]

I think the 2 weeks out is the deal breaker for you. Availability is generally pretty poor.

 

[atthebeachclub]

I agree with @matt and beth : this is not a good idea for you. Nothing will be available to book 2 weeks out most of the time. Even Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are filled up then. If you could book five months out, I would say “maybe.” But two weeks? Definitely don’t do it. You will be disappointed.

 

[Mommb]

What would be your rationale for buying DVC? If you are not interested in the perks and discounts, would need to take whatever resort (if any) is still available a few weeks in advance, and would never need more than a studio, what is the benefit of a DVC room rather than a value resort or an off-site hotel?

If you have a reason to stay in DVC resorts, then yes buying resale would be much less expensive than buying direct.

 

[Sandisw]

IMO, you will become very frustrated with DVC with trying to book regularly weeks in advance, especially if you want studios.

While things can show up, DVC works for those who do book far in advance.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Resale if you bump up your timeline to at least 90 days out and are okay with 1 bedrooms at times. 2 weeks out can happen but its not a guarantee, but if you can just go whenever you likely wont have a problem using your points.

 

[juliebee]

I think this link should work. It's the "last minute availability" list from DVC. I don't know how frequently this is updated, so actual availability could be different. You will see that studio availability is low. DVC is really meant more for planning ahead, but with living so close and if you are flexible and don't just go on weekends, maybe it could work for you? Definitely sounds like resale is your best option and whichever WDW resort has the cheapest points because you aren't planning to use the priority home resort booking window. https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/resort-availability-stays

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I think this link should work. It's the "last minute availability" list from DVC. I don't know how frequently this is updated, so actual availability could be different. You will see that studio availability is low. DVC is really meant more for planning ahead, but with living so close and if you are flexible and don't just go on weekends, maybe it could work for you? Definitely sounds like resale is your best option and whichever WDW resort has the cheapest points because you aren't planning to use the priority home resort booking window. https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/resort-availability-stays

The booking tool seems to be completely down at the moment, but the availability for early Aug on the chart looks a bit better than what I saw when browsing earlier today.

I would not recommend buying in if you can't routinely book at least 20 weeks out or aren't willing to be constantly searching between 8 and 4 weeks (when people drop their extra days to avoid holding points). Even still, I assume you'll be spending a lot of time at OKW and SSR (but maybe that's ok for you). I just think that a lot of the scattered last minute availability ends up being the larger rooms, and it's harder to make that math work versus staying at a moderate or even renting from an owner.